I wasn’t sure how to prepare this tea at first. It’s matcha, so you should be able to just put it in the hot water and shake/whisk it up, right? Well, no, because there are lumps in it as well. The green lumps (I thought they might just be matcha powder caked together that would come apart in the cup) turned out to be bits of citrus peel coated in matcha, which made me realize that there was less matcha in my cup than I at first thought, so I just went ahead and dumped the rest of the sample in too.
When dry, this tea was green, but once steeped it turned a super-muddy brown. By that I mean that it was not just brown but also opaque even before I added milk. I’m going to assume this was from the chocolate. I could taste a hint of chocolate in the tea, although it was hidden way down under the mint still.
There is some bitterness to this tea, but I think that’s from the mint (because it tasted to me like mint tea that has been steeped a bit too long) rather than from the matcha. So next time I’d be more careful not to steep it quite so long. I was trying to give the citrus peel a chance to wake up, but I don’t think it stood a chance against the mint anyway.
Once I added some sugar and lots of milk, it tasted primarily of mint-chocolate, but still very heavy on the mint. I could hardly taste the matcha itself at all because of the mint, which could be a good thing if you don’t especially like matcha flavor but still want the energy that comes from it. With the addition of milk, the citrus became almost nonexistent– although not totally gone– kind of like a ghost. Sometimes I thought I caught a hint of it but I’m not totally sure and it wasn’t a very substantial hint anyway.
Looking at the ingredients list, I notice that there was black tea in this as well. I didn’t really notice it (as I said, before steeping everything was coated in matcha and afterward everything tasted strongly of mint). Maybe there wasn’t very much of it, because it certainly didn’t have a very strong presence in this tea blend.
So in conclusion, I’d say that if you like strongly minty mint chocolate matcha, this could be great for you. It would also be great as a functional breakfast tea because it has all the refreshing qualities of mint plus the caffeine from the matcha. I’m not sure I’d buy this particular blend but I sure had fun with the sample!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Moongleam Tea Shoppe
Description
The rich, earthy flavor of matcha meets the sweetness of cocoa, mint, and orange peel.
The flavors combine wonderfully to create a wonderful interplay.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha from My Matcha Life
Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha from My Matcha Life? Yes, please!
Let’s get right to it, shall we? Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha from My Matcha Life shows off a vibrant green, fluffy powder upon cracking the top of this matcha tin!
It smells like creamy green veggies! An aroma I absolutely adore! Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha from My Matcha Life didn’t froth up as easy as some other matcha tend to but that didn’t matter much to me. At least not today.
Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha from My Matcha Life is a very strong matcha, naturally! I found this quite impressive! It tasted like spinach at times but smoothed out nicely for a creamier end-sip!
Their matcha tea is grown in the fields of Japan in the Kagoshima Prefecture at the south-western tip of the island of Kyushu and on the island of Honshu near the city of Kyoto where matcha tea actually originated 800 years ago. I can understand why they chose THIS specific hearty matcha to feature as their ceremonial matcha! With the top-notch quality, the rich history, and impressive aroma and flavor you can’t go wrong!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea/Matcha
Where to Buy: My Matcha Life
Description
Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha Tea offers a richer, more complex flavor compared to other organic ceremonial matcha teas. Approximately 30 servings per tin.
Our matcha teas are grown in the finest tea fields of Japan, nurtured by the world’s top Tea Masters and traditionally stone-ground to a rich 100% pure matcha tea powder.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rooibos Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai
“Ready to savor in a moment” says the packaging, and it’s true: this tea is in a finely ground powder form, just mix it in your mug with hot water or milk and it’s ready to drink. I used the recommended ratio on the packaging, using a teaspoon of sweetener, and 50/50 hot water and hot (almond) milk. I used a stronger serving of the tea powder because I like my chai extra spicy. The powder is a rich, dark brown, smelling strongly of cloves and cinnamon. In the hot brew, the ginger brings its trademark heat and cardamom adds a pop of herbal warmth. It’s everything I want from a chai: the warm and spicy Christmas flavors, and since it’s rooibos, it’s decaf so I can drink it any time of day.
For future brewing, I would treat this like I do matcha, sifting the powder first for the smoothest blend, and whisking it to add a bit of foam on top. I always feel like it’s a challenge to get a chai spicy enough for my tastes, and this powdered tea style makes it easy to bring the heat. I might give this a try with hot water, no milk, and a slice of orange as an alternative brewing style. I just got a sample size of this tea to try it out, but I’ll have to order a full bag of rooibos masala chai from a Blue Lotus Chai sometime soon!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Red Rooibos (ground)
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Description:
100% Certified organic and caffeine-free, our Rooibos Masala Chai appeals to a broad cross-section of customers. It has a similar taste profile to our Traditional Masala Chai, but with the delightful base of naturally sweet and nutty rooibos. Those who cannot or wish to not drink a caffeinated chai, can freely indulge in their favorite BLC drink.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Matcha Experiments with Gokei Organic from Velvetea. . . . . .
With the upcoming obligatory New Year’s resolutions quickly approaching, there will be a new focus on fitness. I’ve already noticed it over the last few days. The amount of ads focused on weight loss has probably doubled and I’ve noticed the tea detoxing ads on Facebook are back.
I’m not going to lie, I started working out today but that is also because my house has been chalk full of holiday treats and I can tell I’ve gained a pound or two. Not so much because the New Year is quickly approaching.
Today I thought would also be a great day to play with some matcha. Recently, Velvetea sent us samples of their matcha so I thought it would be the perfect time to experiment with their Gokei Organic .
First go around was just to make the matcha the way the container says by sifting 1/2 tsp, add 8oz of water and whisk. The matcha frothed up nicely and the taste was pretty good. The matcha itself had the traditional vegetal taste and the powder whisked nicely. Quite refreshing and warming on a cold winter day like today. Definitely a solid matcha but I wanted something a bit more.
The second go around was to froth this matcha up with a spot of eggnog. I love mixing eggnog with tea. I typically buy a soy eggnog or an almond eggnog so isn’t horribly calorie ridden and is better for me. I poured in my eggnog into my Breville Frother and added in a 1/2 tsp in, hit the button, and waited for the whirling to stop and the beeping to let me know the beverage was ready.
First sip in and I knew I had hit the jackpot. This beverage delivered a spot on creamy flavor with the spices from the eggnog- really mingling well with the matcha. There was a slight vegetal finish but it compliments the creamy spices from the eggnog beautifully. I quickly devoured this cuppa down in no time and found myself craving another cup.
The third and last experiment was to make a matcha eggnog smoothie. I scooped a 1/2 tsp into my blender, poured in some almond milk, a dash of eggnog, and set the blender to start whirling. In no time flat, I had myself a matcha eggnog smoothie. Took a sip and just had to smile. This was probably my favorite way to enjoy this matcha out of the three experiments.
The Gokei Organic worked so well blended into a smoothie. The vegetal feel was toned down a bit but still had that delicious creamy texture and feel. The eggnog added those lovely spices into the mix.
All in all, I highly recommend this matcha. The matcha is a great quality and easily whisks into a smoothie, a regular cuppa, a latte and I’m sure this would be a fabulous matcha to bake and cook with. I’m tickled with how my drinks turned out today and can’t wait to get some veggies and fruit to make a smoothie.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Velvetea
Description
This matcha isn’t listed on the site but click below for what is!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Raspberry Matcha from Tea’s Me
Flavored Matcha. Yup! I will try just about any flavor. (As long as it’s vegan and this one is). So when I saw Raspberry Matcha from Tea’s Me I knew I had to spend some time with it.
This not only has green matcha powder it also has natural raspberry flavor and pure cane sugar, too! I will say that I was able to taste the raspberry flavor AND the pure cane sugar right away. And I know this review will be a little backwards but I feel like I need to address the flavor right away this time around.
The pure cane sugar is just that – pure. It didn’t have a fake taste to it. The Raspberry flavors came thru nicely. When the raspberry and the pure cane sugar are put together like they were here they lingered long after the sip. I think the pure cane sugar helped the raspberry flavor along. I think the raspberry flavor toned down the sugary notes. Any more sugar and I’m not sure I would have liked the cup as much as I did…and I DID enjoy it! This is a full flavor FLAVORED Matcha – I will point out. So if you are looking for a berry type flavored matcha I would recommend you try this one. It’s unlike anything I have ever had before.
Based on this winning experience I hope to some day try Tea’s Me’s other two flavored matcha flavors which include Blueberry and the other being Vanilla.
Now…if you will excuse me…I think I will go have another cup of Raspberry Matcha from Tea’s Me…Nom, Nom, Nom…
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Tea’s Me
Description
Natures Super Drink (1573 ORAC antioxidant rating)
Whether you want a boost of energy, refreshing drink or healthy cooking ingredient, Tea’s Me raspberry matcha is here for you. Matcha is one of the healthiest drinks on earth and now boasts an amazing taste. All of our Matcha is sourced from Japan, the birth place of Matcha 500 years ago. Great for cooking, lattes, smoothies and of course tea.
Ingredients – 100% Organic Matcha, Cane Sugar and Raspberry Extract